Cuchifritos

The food was so dry. We had pernil with rice and chicken with rice and it was the driest thing we’ve ever had. The waitress even suggested some «gravy» because she knew it was dry. I also ordered a pastellio and it was the worst thing ever.
Even the lemonade was dry…

This place is horrific. This is NOT authentic Puerto Rican food anymore it is not what it used to be, Im so sad that people think this is actual Puerto Rican food. I’m devastated because I travelled uptown to this place to reminisce instead I was extremely disappointed.
The food is equivalent to a middle school cafeteria interpretation of home cooked meals.
I don’t know what happened to this institution but my theory is it was sold to someone who doesn’t know what they are doing.
TOO GREASY— For Starters this food is way too greasy (it’s supposed to be greasy) but this is BEYOND greasy the appeal of a fritura especially for an alcapurria or relleno de papa is the texture combination crunchy outside mushy inside. Everything I attempted to eat was sappy stale drenched in grease.
WHERE IS THE BEEF??? — the beef that was in all of the items I ordered was NOT beef it was a hodge podge mixture of different meats and filler.
NO FLAVOR — Puertorican Food (latin food for that matter) is supposed to be flavorful I have great memories of biting into a relleno de papa and having those flavors explode in my mouth.
LAZY — The traditional alcapurria contains a mixture of green bananas and other «viandas» these people make single ingredient ones my guess is to save money or too lazy to make the authentic ones.
HORRIBLE JUICES– The tamarindo juice is supposed to be a Puertorican specialty because of the way it’s made it is a long process where the tamarind pods are soaked in water until the pulp separates from the seeds then strained the flavor if done right is unmatched, the juice I bought tasted like someone added a cap full of tamarindo syrup into 5 gallons of sugar water.
Another specialty is the Parcha/​Chinola juice or passion fruit juice in English… Their juice tasted like TANG the powder mix drink.
I really hope this place improves soon, this is a misinterpretation of Puertorican food and discredits the neighborhoods authenticity.

Perfect! Just perfect! I love the food, and the staff is friendly and inviting. Absolutely amazing find

Good atmosphere, delicious authentic food.
Mofongo is bomb as well as the corn empanada filled with ground meat.

Stick with the small snacks, a buck or two each, and eat inside or outside on the street immediately, for maximum enjoyment. The flavor profiles are rather narrow, nothing is particularly distinctive, seasoning is minimal, it’s all sort of neutral, relying on textures — crunchy on the outside and mushy on the inside, fried of stewed, with or without meat. Some might call it bland, but it’s authentic, I just wish that the sauces were a little more zesty, the garlic isn’t very garlicky and the hot doesn’t have much heat. Dry whole bird.

A Spanish Harlem classic. Try the alcapurrias, papas rellenas, arroz con gandules, canoas, and other favorites. Get yourself a parcha and you’re set! #WEEEPAAAAAAAAAAAA

This place has gone down the tubes. I ordered rice and beans. Both bland, beans watery. I ordered relleno de papa-​way too yellow and over fried and greasy. The empanadas were terrible and the pastele was worse. I’m sorry but I, along with my parents, grew up going there. We all agree their best years are gone. Oh I’d be remiss to end the review here if I didn’t mention the extremely rude «waitresses» who work there. Do Puerto Ricans even work and cook there anymore???

DO NOT GO HERE THIS PLACE is disgusting I found a bug on my fooooodddd please refrain from going here this place deserves an F. I’m calling 311 and I’m placing a complaint never again.

l Had this place on my radar since the one by Delancey closed down. Its hard to find one of these cuchifrito places, that are Good. What I took to go were their bacalaitos, papa relleno, alcapurria, a rotisserie chicken & an order of arroz con gandules. I have been grossly disappointed with their cuchifritos. I know fried food is fried, but this was insane. Insanely greasy. So fried, that that’s all you taste. The paper rellena which is a potatoes ball stuffed with ground meat… the potatoes portion soaked the oil. Nasty. Same with the rest. The rice was ok. Highly dissapointed in everything else.

Definitely feels like you’re in Puerto Rico for this treasure. Expect a longer line — you can order at the counter outside (in nicer weather) or inside. Don’t expect a seat, unless you’re patient and quick to grab an empty place at the counter.
The jugos (juices) were delicious — the coco is my favorite, but it’s quite sweet. I ordered the especialidad de la casa: fried chicken chunks with mofongo. I’ve been to PR, and this mofongo was decent. A little dry, but had nice crunchy bits (I think chicharrones?) inside. The chicken was hot, high quality, and all white meat. Two of us split it for $ 12.50. Plenty of food, but expect a longer wait than the delicious snacks under the heat lamp.
Seemed like a hit with locals, would definitely return. Would recommend knowing a bit of Spanish to order, but certainly not required. Come to see the beautiful cacophony that is Cuchifritos, and enjoy the fried deliciousness while you’re there.

Good Lord is this place good! Traditional Puerto Rican fried food and «cuchifrito». What is even better is that they are now using real, high quality ground beef! It used to bug me before that the meat tasted odd– as in canned?
The «taco» (a roll of dough stuffed with spicy beef and deep fried), alcapurria (a fried food product which is stuffed with beef and the outside is made from plantains and certain traditional tubers), papa rellena (beef stuffed potato ball) and the platano relleno (a ripened plantain deep fried, split down the middle and a mound of deliciously prepared ground beef, topped with marinated red pepper strips and peas– a little taste of heaven on earth)
Their non-​fried selection ranges from the tame (rotisserie chicken or pernil-​roasted pork with rice and beans) to tripe, pigs feet, tongue, pig ears, etc. Some items may offend the average American sensibilities but they are DELICIOUS if you are willing to be a little adventurous!)

What can I say? This place, in the middle of the heat and noise that is New York City, brings you back to the Island of Puerto Rico with the aromas and taste of Puerto Rico. Mofongo with Shrimp was my last dish here. I sat at an old fashioned counter on an old fashion stool, slowly placed my fork into this traditional food and enjoyed every single bite. The staff is friendly, almost family like. This is a must visit whenever in the mood for grandma’s food or when in the area.

Best Boricua restaurant in Spanish Harlem. I’m from Newark, and whenever I’m in the area, this is my go to spot.

Don’t ever listen to Anthony Bourdain, I visited this Cuchifrito spot only because I seen it on Tv and the food look so good. This is not the first time I have. Wen disappointed by something looking good on tv but not as good in real life lol. When have you ever heard these Tv show hosts like Anthony Bourdain or Guy Fieri say that the good is bad? NEVER.
I guess it’s a hit or miss and this spot was definitely a miss for me. I was in the area and had bookmarked this place in Unilocal because it looked good on Tv, I ordered a few items to go such blood sausage and chicken soup and the food was not good at all flavorless. This is what happens when you eat with your eyes.
I will never return nor ever listen to Any recommendations by Anthony Bourdain.

Their papa rellena still wins and I find comfort in their striped shirts BUT the mofongo was depressing.
Since coming back home I have been longing for good mofongo and thought I would find that at Sandy’s or this cuchifrito. Face palm. The chicharon was old and dry. Horrible. Their juices were also weak.
I will be back, because this place and the papas are like a time travel machine to the days of my youth. But, I’ll stick to Sandy’s for my other needs.

I am very very unfamiliar with this type of food and have had to ask the people around me for suggestions every time I come. I’ve come here twice and both times they have not disappointed. The first time I got a rotisserie chicken piece with yellow rice and beans. The second time I got pork with yellow rice and beans. I am a huge fan of the beans. When you drizzle it over the rice it is just so good. They also give huge portions here and it has lasted me at least two meals every time I order food from here. The staff is also very friendly. This place is very popular so when you come expect to wait a while before getting your order in.

Do not order anything that is not pernil or fried here.
Made the mistake of ordering half a rotisserie chicken (white meat) and boiled yucca with red onions. Asked for chicken gravy but they were out so I opted for the pork gravy instead. Big mistake. The gravy congealed over the food creating a very disgustingly thick layer of fatty glaze rendering the plate inedible.
My honey had a beef empanada that was huge but literally had less than a bite’s worth of meat inside. The chinola juice was okay, not too sweet.
Would definitely return for the fried items but nothing else.

This was exactly what I was looking for. As a Puerto Rican ex-​pat, I wanted some of my home food. I found it here. They have a great assortment of frituritas (or cuchifritos, as they call them), from rellenos de papa, alcapurrias, and bacalaitos, to chicharrones, soups, rice and beans, etc.
I had the mofongo and chicharrones de pollo, and it was exactly what I wanted. The mofongo had the crunch of the cuerito they put in it, and the chicharrones were well seasoned, juicy and crispy. It was a great portion too, more than what I expected. I had a medium sized passion fruit juice and it was one of the better ones I’ve ever had. I just wish the mofongo had a little more garlic in it, but it was still delicious. I’ll definitely return again and hope to have some bacalaitos.
The service was quick, and great. My dish needed to be prepared so it took a few minutes, but the lady at the counter was attentive. Lots of people came in to order food to go. They speak Spanish and English, but they’re kinder if you order in Spanish. Would highly recommend.

I think, I am not sure but this store has been here since I was a kid. I remember passing by these cuchifrito joints as a kid and kept wondering what it was. While I was in J.H.S., my friend’s mom took me home but before she did, she made a pit stop into a cuchifrito place (I can’t remember if it was this store was it was on 116^th street) and bought us a fried round thingy. That thing turned out to be a relleno de papa, mashed potato ball filled with meat, then fried… it was soooo good.
I saw on Unilocal that this place was still around. I dropped by after visiting family in the area. I bought 2 each, of the alcapurrias and relleno de papa. I ended up taking it home to eat. When I got home, I had a relleno de papa. It was warm but on the cool side. It was okay… I actually liked it better when I pan-​toasted it, giving the thin dough on the outside, a nice toasty crunch to it. Same with the alcapurrias.
I would definitely pass by again and pick up more stuff for home.

Quite simply, this place is awesome. It’s a no-​frills East Harlem gem, and I love it for its simplicity. The prices are awesome — two empanadas and juice for $ 4. Seriously. They have all different kinds of juice — definitely recommend the passion fruit! So yummy and refreshing.
I’ve had the beef empanadas, and they were so were big and flavorful. I’ve had the papa rellenas, but wasn’t as impressed by them. It seemed like they were sitting out all day. Although I’ve had better mofongo, this was pretty good. And cheap! You’re in and out quickly here, and I appreciate that!